Heater for garages, &amp;c.



W. K; MASON.

H EATER FOR GARAGES, (1c.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9| I920 1,370,471 Patented Ma r. 1, 1921,

. fir T345 UNITED STATES WILLIAM K. MASON, 0F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

' HEATER FOB GARAGES, &C.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Application filed August 9, 1920. Serial No. 402,142.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM K. MAsoN, a citizen of the United States residing at Cambrid e, in the county of Middlesex and State of lWassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Heaters for Garages, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fluid heating and circulating system adapted for use in heating garages, and including a burner and a boiler operatively associated with the burner, so that its contents will be heated by the lat ter, the boiler constituting a conduit member, a radiator, and flow and return conduit members, constituting, with the boiler and radiator, a fluid-circulating system, the arrangement being such that fluid heated in the boiler is circulated through the radiator, so that heat is radiated by the latter.

The invention has for its object to provide for a heating system of this character, a vapor proof protecting box adapted to prevent liability of the explosion of combustible vapors present in garages.

The invention is embodied in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 shows, partly in elevation and partly in section, a fluid heating and c1rculating system embodying the invention and in section a protecting box associated with the system.

Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation and a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, 12 represents a burner, which as here shown is constructed to burn gas, the burner being elongated and provided with a plurality of gas outlets 13. I hereinafter refer to the burner 12 as the main burner, to distinguish it from the pilot burner hereinafter described.

14 represents a boiler, which 1s operatively associated with the burner 12 by being so located that fluid in the boiler may be heated by the burner, the boiler constituting a conduit member. 15 represents a radiator, which maybe of any suitable form. 16 represents a flow conduit member connecting the boiler with one portion of the radiator.

17 represents a return conduit member,

connecting another portion of the radiator with the opposite end of the boiler.

The boiler, the radiator, and the fiow and return conduit members constitute a fluidclrculating system, in which the circulation may be as indicated by arrows on the drawmg. I

18 represents a pilot burner, which as here shown, is a gas burner, and is arranged to ignite gas issuing from the burner outlets 13.

19 represents a vapor-proof box inclosing the burners 12 and 18, and the boiler 14:. The radiator is external to the box 19, and the flow and return conduit members 16 and 1'? extend from within the box to the radiator through orifices 21, closely fitting the said conduit members.

An ignition system 0 erable from the exterior of the box 19 is s own somewhat diagrammatically by the drawing, said system including conducting wires 22, formin a spark gap at 23 and a suitable source of electricity in a casing 24 at the outside of the box 19, a suitable switch 25 being provided to make and break an electric circuit through the wires 22.

The box 19 has an air-admitting opening or openings at 26. Between said opening and the portion of the box containing the burners and boiler I interpose suitable means permitting air to enter the box, and preventing the explosion of combustible vapor exterior to the box, said means being here shown as embodied in two partitions 27 of wire gauze, or finely perforated sheet metal.

The box is provided with means for conducting products of combustion therefrom, to a point remote from the box, and prefer ably outside of the building in which the heater is located, said means being preferably embodied in a pipe or conduit 28, communicating with an opening in the upper portion of thebox. Said conduit is sufliciently elongated to prevent contact between hot products of combustion conducted thereby, and combustible gases surrounding the box.

Although the burners may be adapted for use with any suitable fuel, such as petroleum, I prefer to employ-gas burners, as above stated.

When gas is used for the fuel, I provide gas-supplying means, including a casing 29,

external to the box 19, and provided with an outer nipple 30, and with an inner nipple 31, said nipples closely fitting orifices 32 in the box. The inner nipple 31 communicates with the main burner 12, and the outer nipple 3O communicates with the pilot burner 18.

The casing 29 is provided between the nipples 30 and 31 with an inner burner cook 33, controlling the supply of gas to the main burner 12. The casing is also tween the nipple 30 and the gas inlet 34, with an outer cock 35 controlling the'supply of gas to both burners.

To regulate the supply of gas through the burners, I provide needle valves 36,.

adapted to cooperate with tapering valve seats 37 in the nipples 30 and 31.

The box 19 is provided, in addition to the openings 32, receiving the gas-conducting.

nipples-or branches 30 and 31, and the openings 21, through which the'conduits 16 and 17 pass, with an opening at 33, through which pass the Wires 22 forming elements of the ignition system. Sa d openings are formed to'have a vapor-tight fit around the conduits 16 and 17, the branches 30 and 31, and the conducting wires 22, so that combustible vaporcannot pass through the openings, the box provided with said openings and with the foraminous partitions v27 being, therefore, vapor-proof. If desired, the said openings may be providedxwith packings of refractory material.

It will now be seen that my invention is embodied-in a vapor proof protecting box as- 'SOCIELtQd with a fluid heatlng and circulating system which includes a burner, a boiler arranged to be heated by the burner, a radiator, and flow and return connect-ions connecting the boiler with the radiator, the said vapor-proof box inclosing the burner .and the boiler, but not the radiator, so that the latter'is exposed to radiate heat outside the box, one wall of the box being interposed between the boiler and the radiator and the entire box being outsidethe radiator.

I call the part 14 a boilerfor the sake ofconvenience, and without intending to imply that water is necessarily boiled therein.

en the fluid-circulating system. is entirely filled with water, no boiling. takes place in the part called the boiler.

The radiator is supported by legs 37' at opposite sides of the box. The legs at one end may be longer than those at the opposite endto incline the radiator from end to end, and thus accelerated circulation.

Acup'38 for the introduction of water i into the boiler maybe provided at any suitable part of the circulating system, said cup having a cook 39.

In Fig. 1 I show packing means surrounding the box openings 21, and the conduits 16 and 17, said means being embodied in metal glands 40 attached by screws to the ends of rovided beated with the conduit openings 21.

'means forming .flametight fluid circulates in a path which is partly within and partly without the box.

The glands 10 and the p ackings 11 constitute an element of safety means assp cihe partitions 27 constitute an element of safety means associated with the air-admitting opening. The conduit 28 constitutes an element of safety means associated with the k i opening for the escape of the products of combustion. Each of said elements isadapted to prevent the explosion, by the burner, of gases'outside the box and in theimmediate vicinity of the conduits,the air inlet, and the products outlet. The box equipped with said safety elements enables the burner to be safely used to heat the boiler and the radiator in a garage where explosive vapor be mixed wlth and carried by is liable to the air. V

, It will be seen that the boiler and the burner are inclosed by a box-like structure forming a chamber inclosing the. boiler and theburner. admitting and flame-confining portions Similar Said chamber includes air-r formed by the foraminous partition or partitions 27. The'major portion of the chamber constitutes an impervious portion, in the sense that, unlike the portion .27, it is made The, airof material impervious to air. admitting'portion 27; is marginally connected with the impervious portion by joints, said means being shown as embodied in flanges a5, fixed to the impervious portion and .hav-

ing wide bearing surfaces contacting with corresponchngly wide surface areas of the portion 27. Thevarea of the said contacting surfaces is suchfthat they form fiame tight joints, that is to say, joints through which flame cannot pass. from the interior of the box. I find that flame will not shoot througha crevice of considerable width between two contactingsurfaces.

"The openings 21 occupied by the. conduits 16 and 17 and the opening for the escape of products of combustion, are formed in the impervious portion of the chamber, which is provided, as shown,w1th, means for forming'flame-tight joints around said conduits, and with a safety conduit 28 ,for preventing explosion, by the burner, of gases in the vicinity of the'escaping products.

The impervious portion of the chamber is of sectional construction, that is to say, it includes a section formed by the upright walls of the box-like structure and a section formed by a top 19, which is a separate piece. Said sections are marginally connected with each other by means forming flame-tight joints, said means being shown as embodied inflanges 46, fixed to one of the sections, and having wide bearing surfaces contacting with, and suitably secured to, correspondingly wide surface portions of the other section.

It is evident from the foregoing that I have provided against the possible explosion of gases or vapors contacting with any portion of the exterior of the box or boxlike structure.

I claim:

1. A garage heater comprising a radiator, a boiler located under and spaced from the radiator, flow and return conduits connecting the radiator with the boiler, a burner arranged to heat the boiler, and a box-like structure located below the radiator and forming a chamber inclosing the boiler and the burner, said chamber including an impervious portion composed of sections marginally connected with each other by means forming flame-tight joints, and a foraminous flame-confining and air-admitting portion marginally connected with the impervious portion by means forming flame-tight joints, the said impervious portion being provided with an elongated conduit for the escape of products of combustion, openings occupied by said flow and return conduits, and means forming flametight joints around said conduits.

2. A' garage heater comprising a radiator, a boiler located under and spaced from the radiator, flow and return conduits con necting the radiator With the boiler, a burner arranged to heat the boiler, and a boiler and burner-inclosing box located below the radiator, and having an opening for the admission of air, an opening for the escape of products of combustion, openings occupied by said flow and return conduits, and elements of safety means associated with said openings for preventing the explosion, by the burner, of gases at the exterior of the box the safety means elements associated with the conduit openings being embodied in compressible gaskets surrounding the conduits, and glands secured to the box and compressing said gaskets to form vapor-proof joints.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

WILLIAM K. MASON. 

